Hello! A little intro

Ciao a tutto! 

Although I am writing this from my home in North Vancouver, my head and heart are still in the stone streets, Tuscan Vineyards, and winding canals of Italy in August. My discovery experience took me to Venice, Padua, San Bassano del Grappa, Florence, and Siena to look at anatomical texts, figures, and spaces. More specifically, I wanted to learn something about the roles and representations of women in these objects and places. The journey went something like this: I started with the first ever anatomical theatre made in 1595 at the university of Padua where Vesalius once held the title of ‘lecturer of Surgery’. Then, I looked at renaissance birthplates and early printing press mechanisms used to make texts like the Fabrica in Bassano del Grappa. In Venice, I saw 17^th century obstetric and gynecological texts and tools at the Grande Scuola di San Marco, a medical museum embedded in Venice’s main hospital. Moving west, towards Tuscany, I explored the development of the Santa Maria Della Scala hospital and the prominent role Wet Nurses played in the medical care through a museum across from Siena’s outstanding Duomo.  Finally, I was amazed by the grandeur and accuracy of impressive wax anatomical figures at the Galileo and La Specola museums in Florence. It was an exciting journey, to say the least. To see artifacts not only in the city they were made, but also in the very buildings they were made and used was a unique and powerful learning experience. For every place I went, there were a million more I wanted to see. Since I cannot go back quite yet, I will simply relive the experience on this blog by sharing some of my thoughts.  I will share some of my favorite places in detail, and perhaps just reference others, but I will be more than excited to talk about them in person!